We know what you’re thinking. Yes, ruffles can feel very childish, but they can also be incredibly whimsical and fresh. Ruffles add delicate yet lively detail to your wedding dress. Imagine the fun you can have playing with your skirt!
Pierpaolo Piccioli’s Pre-Fall 2019 collection for Valentino saw a resurgence of ruffles, followed by Dior, Comme de Garcons and Marc Jacobs. Ever since then the trend has permeated street style as fashion steers towards a more ‘frou-frou’ aesthetic.
Stay on trend yet classic with these fun and flouncy finishes.
Renewing your vows may possibly be better (for you) than saying them for the first time. You’re likely to be a hundred times less nervous, which means your day will feel much smoother. You also may have started a little family to celebrate alongside you in the years after your vows were first uttered.
There are many more up-sides to having your vows renewed. One of these being that there are less expectations, norms and rules to follow for vow renewals. Your parents won’t require you to invite that one aunt you’ve never really clicked with, for instance.
Weddings are steeped in tradition and thus come with many do’s and don’ts. But with vow renewals, you can let your imagination run free.
If you’re worried about updating paper work, there’s no need! A vow renewal ceremony is not a legal one and thus requires no registered officiates or trips to Home Affairs. This ceremony is more about romance, celebration, commemoration and for some, spirituality.
Some couples renew their vows on a big anniversary, while others use it as a way to celebrate making it through a tough time together. But in all honesty, you don’t need a reason. Maybe you just lacked the funds for a big celebration the first time around and now have the means to throw a fancy party. That is reason enough to celebrate your love again.
So if you’re planning on a big day 2.0 here are some quick tips:
– Get creative
Since you have free reign you should go wild with your ideas. Choose a loved one to officiate, have your kids walk you down the aisle, pick that venue that you’re worried will be too much. Just go for it!
– Vows
Since it is a renewal, you’ll want to update your vows to be more relevant to your life together as it is now, not as it was back then.
– Wedding party and registry
These two things are usually left out of the renewal ceremony. But if you want to have them, you definitely can.
– Photographer
Be sure to book a photographer to capture all the memories! An occasion as special as this should always be documented.
Here are some real life vow renewals to inspire you:
February is Black History Month in the United States and to honour African tradition, a church in Atlanta Georgia hosted a Wakanda-themed mass wedding.
New Birth Missionary Baptist Church hosts an annual mass wedding called ‘The Vow’, in which they aim to cut down the financial burdens of hosting a wedding.
“We wanted to remove the financial barriers that would burden or even deter couples from having a wedding ceremony,” explains New Birth Senior Pastor Dr. Jamal Harrison Bryant. “Marriage not only signifies a commitment between two people, but also is an outward demonstration of a commitment and bond that symbolizes God’s love for the church.”
On February 16 this year, 12 couples said ‘I do’ during the mass wedding themed “A Wedding in Wakanda”. Guests were encouraged to wear traditional African clothing to honour Black History Month.
Credit: Instagram / New Birth Missionary Baptist ChurchCredit: Instagram / New Birth Missionary Baptist ChurchCredit: Instagram / New Birth Missionary Baptist ChurchCredit: Instagram / New Birth Missionary Baptist Church
Wakanda is the fictional African country home to Marvel’s Black Panther. Ever since the Black Panther film hit theatres, people around the world revelled in the movie’s portrayal of black superheroes and African ingenuity.
Singer Kelly Price serenaded the couples on their big day.
Feature image: Instagram / New Birth Missionary Baptist Church
Does the thought of planning a fancy dinner for hundreds of people, a year in advance, with the focus of everyone’s attention only on you scare you or excite you? If it’s the former and this sounds like your worst nightmare of a wedding, then why not elope?
Skip the excessive and unnecessary spending and choose a destination you and your partner have dreamed of visiting. Do some research on local wedding officiates and choose somewhere. Pack a bag and be gone.
If you want to be a little less dramatic, tell your family that your wedding is going to be extremely intimate: you, your partner, the officiate and a photographer. They can’t disown you for wanting to celebrate your special day the way you want to. It’s your day, not theirs.
If the idea of an intimate wedding excites you, here is some inspiration to hopefully get you to commit to your authentic happily ever after.
On your big day, you want to look like the best version of yourself. As the literal base of your makeup, foundation helps to create an even, flawless complexion on which you can build to achieve your perfect look. Foundation is not one-size-fits-all, and its important to find the one that works best for you (if you choose to wear foundation at all).
The type of foundation you choose will depend on the finish you desire, and it can be quite tricky to figure it out if you’re not a beauty guru. Fear not, we’ve got the breakdown. Finding the right foundation for your skin requires you to consider four different elements: coverage, type, finish and shade.
Coverage
Foundation comes in three main types depending on the amount of coverage you want: full, medium and sheer coverage. This is up to personal preference. Full coverage gives you the most even, flawless finish, while a sheer coverage or a tinted moisturiser will mostly give an overall skin-tint and slightly cover a few blemishes. Medium coverage falls somewhere between these two, offering up buildable coverage that evens out your tone while still allowing your skin to shine through.
Type
Once you’ve decided on the coverage you want, you can begin to look at foundation types. Foundation generally come in liquid form, in a stick, as a whipped mousse and as a powder.
Liquid foundation is the easiest and most accessible to use. Liquid glides on easily and blends the best for the most even finish, however it can exaggerate oil-prone skin. It can be applied using a brush, beauty sponge or even your fingers.
A stick foundation is creamier and thicker in consistency than a liquid foundation. However, there is quite a bit of buffing that is required with this foundation to make sure you get an even look. Stick foundations are perfect for contouring and highlighting, as it gives a great colour-payoff that can be blended more naturally into the skin than powder.
A whipped mousse foundation is a liquid foundation that has air incorporated into it, lightening up the texture. This light-weight foundation blends easily and works well for all skin tones.
Powder foundation is easy to apply as it generally requires less blending and comes in a convenient compact case. Powder foundation is perfect for someone who wants a lighter, more matte look. However, it can be quite drying and is generally not great for someone already predisposed to dryness.
Finish
Once you’ve locked down the coverage and type of foundation you want, your second-to-last step is to choose your finish. These are the main foundation finishes:
– Matte foundations eliminate sheen on your face, making it perfect for those with oily skin. Those with blemish or acne-prone skin will like this finish as it provides a poreless filter to the skin. Dry, more mature skin should steer clear of this finish as it can accentuate problem areas.
– Dewy finishes give the wearer a soft, glowing look to the skin and is perfect for dry skin and mature skin as it appears more youthful.
– A Satin finish falls between matte and dewy: close to full coverage but in a more natural way. This finish compliments all skin-types.
Shade match
Unfortunately, the last step is always the hardest. Shade matching your skin to a foundation can be incredibly difficult, especially in store where lighting is not exactly optimal. The key thing to take into account is your skins undertone.Warm undertones reflect traces of red and gold in their skin and typically tan very easily. Cool undertones have hints of ink and blue in their skin and are prone to burn more easily in the sun. A neutral undertone falls in the middle, with an equal mix of cool and warm tones.
When in doubt, many makeup artists create a foundation cocktail, mixing together two or three shades to get the closest match. Don’t be afraid to experiment!
While she will always go down in history as being the violet-eyed star of the silver screen, Elizabeth Taylor also has another title: the celebrity who had been married the most. The iconic actress was married eight times in her life, twice to the same man.
“I am a very committed wife,” Taylor is famous for joking. “And I should be committed, too—for being married so many times.”
We take a look back at her numerous glamorous weddings…
1950-1951: Conrad ‘Nicky’ Hilton
A baby-faced 18-year-old Taylor wed Conrad ‘Nicky’ Hilton, heir to the Hilton Hotel fortune, in a large Los Angeles affair attended by 700 guests. Taylor wore a gown designed by Metro-Goldwyn-Meyer costume-designer Helen Rose, who famously went on to design Grace Kelly’s wedding dress.
Unfortunately the marriage did not last long; the couple split in January the following year.
Credit: Instagram / Elizabeth Taylor
1952-1957: Michael Wilding
Taylor didn’t stay single for long following her divorce. A year later, the starlet was married to British actor Michael Wilding. The bride went more casual this time around, wearing a modest suit with a fitted jacket and a knee-length flared skirt – once again designed by Helen Rose. Her trend-setting sapphire engagement ring inspired many brides for the years following.
Throughout the course of their five-year marriage, the pair had two children: Michael and Christopher. They divorced in 1957.
Credit: Instagram / Elizabeth Taylor
1957-1958: Michael Todd
Husband number three was American film producer Michael Todd. The pair said their ‘I do’s’ in Mexico in a ceremony officiated by the mayor of Acapulco. Not one to wear the same thing twice, Taylor went bold with a hooded gown. Husband-and-wife duo Eddie Fischer and Debbie Reynolds (parents of Carrie Fisher) served as the best man and matron-of-honour respectively.
This marriage was the only one of Taylor’s to not end in divorce; Todd tragically passed away in a private jet crash in 1958. Taylor was originally meant to be on the jet too, but at the last minute stayed home because of a cold. The couple share a daughter together named Liza.
Credit: Instagram / Elizabeth Taylor
1959-1964: Eddie Fisher
Distraught from losing her husband so suddenly, Taylor controversially found comfort in best man Eddie Fischer. The pair grew incredibly close, and ended up getting married in 1959 after Fischer left Debbie Reynolds. Elizabeth converted to Judaism, and the happy couple wed at the Temple Beth Shalom in Las Vegas. Once again, Taylor stunned in a green silk dress with a hood and long sleeves. In another unconventional move, Fisher proposed to Taylor with a 40-carat bracelet made with 50 diamonds.
This marriage, however, was not to be and the pair divorced in 1964.
Credit: Instagram / Elizabeth Taylor
1964-1974:Richard Burton
Taylor’s most famous relationship was with actor Richard Burton. The actors met while filming Cleopatra and began dating in secret. At the time, Burton was married to Welsh actress Sybil Williams and Taylor was still married to Fisher. Their relationship was made public when they were spotted together by paparazzi on a yacht in Italy. Their affair was an international scandal and was even condemned by the Vatican but that wouldn’t stop these love birds. Only nine days after officially splitting from Fischer, Taylor and Burton wed in Montreal, Canada in 1964. Sticking to her colourful train, Taylor wore a canary-yellow chiffon gown and stunning floral headdress – the original flower crown. In another unique choice, Burton decided against an engagement ring, instead proposing with a Bulgari brooch the bride wore on her wedding day.
This was her longest marriage by far, spanning 10 years in which the couple starred in eleven films together before calling it quits (or so we thought).
Credit: Instagram / Elizabeth Taylor
1975-1976: Richard Burton (again)
Burton and Taylor went for round two a year-and-a-half after their divorce, secretly renewing their vows in Botswana in October 1975. Taylor embraced the 70s aesthetic in a unique tie-dye dress. During this marriage, Burton gifted Taylor with the world famous Krupp Diamond, now known as the Elizabeth Taylor diamond, a generous 33.19 carats that sold for $8.8m after Taylors passing.
Of their love, Taylor famously said, “Our love is so furious that we burn each other out”. They divorced again the following July, officially closing the chapter on their book of love although Taylor has called Burton the love of her life.
Credit: Instagram / Elizabeth Taylor
1976 – 1982: John Warner
Tired of actors, Liz married senator John Warner in an intimate ceremony on his cattle farm in Virginia. For their big day, the bride wore a cashmere dress accessorised with a tweed and fur coat, and matching turban.
Unfortunately the politicians wife life was not for Liz; the couple divorced in 1982.
Credit: Instagram / Elizabeth Taylor
1991 – Larry Fortensky
Having been burnt a few times, Taylor took a near decade-long break from marriage before her eighth and final wedding to construction worker Larry Fortensky. The couple met at the Betty Ford rehabilitation clinic where Taylor had checked in for her struggles with alcoholism. The pair truly went all out for this star-studded event that was hosted at Michael Jackson’s Neverland Ranch in Santa Ynez Valley, California and was attended by 160 guests, including famous faces like Liza Minnelli, Eddie Murphy, Nancy Reagan, Diane von Furstenberg, Quincy Jones, Macaulay Culkin, and Brooke Shields. Taylor said ‘I do’ in a pale yellow lace Valentino gown.
Unfortunately, this marriage was also not to be. Taylor and Fortensky split five years later.
While it seems like a minor detail, the bridal bouquet is no small task. Flowers seem more simple than they truly are, and picking the perfect set of blooms becomes complicated.
You have to ensure that it matches and suits your wedding gown, it should fit the atomosphere in general, and all of this needs to be done on a budget. If you’re feeling overwhelmed, worry not. You’re not alone!
Here are some tips to help you pick your bridal bouquet:
– Dress first
Since your flowers need to match your dress, having a picture of the dress before you begin your flower shopping will ensure the best possible results. The dress will affect what size, shape and type of bouquet a florist will suggest. Picking your dress first makes this a much easier task. Additionally, you wouldn’t want to be stuck choosing your dress based on the flowers you chose!
– Think about size and shape
If your dress is small, a big bouquet with large blossoms will drown out your dress and may even make it look disproportionate. Ensure that you’re opting for the correct size and shape! If you aren’t certain about what the right dimensions are, don’t be afraid to ask your florist, they are happy to assist.
– Research
Add some images to your Pinterest board, find out the names of the flowers you like the most, and read up on which flowers are in season. If you approach a florist with all of this information, they’ll have a much better idea of what you want and what options are on the table. They can make suggestions based on the information you have provided.
– Consider your wedding itself
You want to ensure that the bouquet fits the occasion. It may look a bit confusing if your wedding is very formal and black-tie, but you’ve opted for a more boho-style bouquet.
– Budget
Before you go anywhere or talk to any florists, set your budget. A budget helps you narrow down the list of options, and also ensures you don’t get attached to something you actually can’t have.
– Comfort
This one is important and many often forget to take it into consideration. You’ll be carrying the bouquet all day long. Don’t choose flowers that may be awkward to carry.
There is a global movement toward living a more environmentally conscious lifestyle. People are more aware of their day-to-day impact on the natural environment and so eco-conscious weddings are rapidly growing in popularity. Here are some ways you can make your wedding as eco-friendly as possible.
1. Leaf Confetti
Say goodbye to the harmful dyed paper that is confetti and hello to compostable confetti punched from fallen leaves. You can use a punch that is either the traditional circular shape, or spice things up and find a punch that cuts heart, star or even flower shapes. The use of leaves means no one has to clean up the mess that other confetti leaves behind. Rice is not an eco-alternative as it is a waste of food and petals are not an alternative option either. Yes they are biodegradable but spending an exorbitant amount of money on flowers, only to rip them apart, is just illogical. Fallen leaf confetti for the win!
Rather than bleeding the bank dry and renting a dinner service large enough for your wedding, purchase compostable cutlery in bulk for your special day. From plates, to bowls, straws, knives, forks and spoons – compostable crockery and cutlery exists in all shapes and sizes. No one remembers the plates you used for your wedding dinner, but they may want to copy your trendsetting notion to save the planet. At the end of the reception, no water or electricity has to be used to clean dinner plates and dessert bowls. Just pop them into a biodegradable bag and use them to start a compost heap. It’s a win-win for Mother Nature.
Check out Green Home for all your compostable crockery and cutlery needs.
Do you want to save money, protect the atmosphere and nourish your guests? Then take meat off the menu for your wedding reception. The idea may cause an outrage among your guests but remember, this is your wedding not theirs. They will survive one night without it. The meat industry contributes greatly to global warming from its CO2 emissions. Did you know that one beef burger with toppings and a bun requires around 3,140 litres of water to be made? So why not lay off the globe’s most precious resource and indulge your guests in a delectable vegetarian (or even better, vegan) menu? With ample vegetarian and vegan food catering companies across South Africa, there really is no excuse for keeping meat on the menu.
Try find a wedding venue that operates only on solar power and keep your wedding off the grid. You won’t have to worry about load shedding mid-I do, or rely on a back up generator if the power goes out during your first dance. Renewable energy will help keep your wedding eco-friendly. Alternatively, you can swap out the candles and use battery operated fairy lights or Console jars that will help keep your wedding lit well into the night.
If you’re planning on giving a thank you gift, give your guests a spekboom cutting each. Spekboom is South Africa’s endemic wonder plant. This shrub is packed with Vitamin C and the succulent leaves are pro photosynthesisers, the process of making plant food from sunlight. This produces oxygen as a by-product, and we all know how important that is. Spekbom, also known as pork bush and Elephant’s food, is more effective than the Amazon rainforest at sucking carbon dioxide out of the atmosphere. Specifically, spekboom can sequester over 4 tonnes of carbon dioxide per year per hectare planted. Spekboom is a water-wise, drought resistant plant that is also edible. Spekbooms can literally be cut and stuck in some soil in a pot and left to thrive. Keep things green with this carbon dioxide sequestering machine.
– NO balloons! Balloons are one of the largest contributors to oceanic waste, they are as deadly to marine life as they are pretty to humans.
– NO glitter! Glitter is essentially a microplastic that pollutes the environment and can be harmful to wildlife if consumed. The definition of ‘environmentally friendly’ glitter differs from producer to producer and so its best to just avoid, avoid, avoid.
– NO fake flowers! Fake flowers may be a pretty element to your decor and theme but by using them you create a demand for the plastic industry and this is what your eco-wedding is trying to avoid.
– Use a local dress and suit maker for your attire: Supporting a small business is a great way to give back to the community and to cut your carbon emission by avoiding having a dress and suit made somewhere that requires excessive travel.
– Have a bouquet made up from endemic plants only. This will not only bring a local flair to your day but is a conservationist approach to the flora you use.
– Use an electric vehicle for your wedding car. Lay off the fossil fuels and roll up to your wedding venue in an eco-friendly, electric vehicle.
– Serve vegan wines. With less harmful toxins, higher resveratol, lower sulphates and a low impact on the environment – switch out the traditional for the environmentally friendly wines. There are ample South African wineries that offer vegan wines, so you have plenty of choice.
One wedding trend that won’t be going out of style is classic boho. Characterised by warm-tones and odes to nature, the boho style is perfect for the free-spirited couple. Its romantic and relaxed yet vibrant. This style can easily be brought into any element of your big day, from your wedding dress all the way to your cake.
Get creative by incorporating colour, dried botanicals and unique shapes haphazardly into your wedding cake. The result will be nothing short of marvelous. Here are some beautifully boho treats to inspire you.
Everyone has that one food-obsessed friend that is constantly coming up with delightful dishes. They know the best brunch spots, are expert food-and-wine pairers and can detect flavours you haven’t even thought of. If your foodie friend is getting married, you’re in luck. Shopping for someone who has a clear passion always makes your job that much easier. Bonus: gifting newlyweds with food-related gifts is not only up their alley, it also prepares them for their new life together.
Here are some ideas to spoil your favourite foodie on their big day:
